'Being gay and under financial hardships' & other Friday midday news briefs

How Being Gay 'Decimated' This Man's Life Savings - Forget about that nonsense regarding the bakery. THIS STORY HERE is what we should be talking about.

 Influential Religious Right Donor Indicted For His Role In The Lisa Miller Kidnapping Case - Keep an eye on this case. Slowly but surely it's moving into some serious religious right inner circles.

Meet two activists who brought sweeping change to the gay rights movement - Two awesome individuals. One I know on a personal level (little complaint on the general scheme of things - are we ever going to hear about lgbts of color helping to change the gay rights movement one day?)  

Fearing Same-Sex Marriage, Louisiana Church Kicks Out Alcoholics Anonymous Group - Oh real Christian, guys.

'Ex-Gay Awareness Month' is a sad passive-aggressive farce

As fast as one anti-gay event is over (the Values Voter Summit), here comes another one.

Today marks the second annual 'Ex-Gay Awareness Month.' If you don't remember the first one from last year, it's because it was a tremendous flop.

Anyway, this is where supposed ex-gays (professional ex-gays who claim to be delivered from homosexuality so much that they get a pay check every time they portray themselves as such) gather with anti-gay groups and talking heads in a sad attempt to cast themselves as victims of gays who supposedly want to deny their existence.

 It's an interesting racket, except for the simple fact that no one is buying the crap they are selling because we all recognize it as a passive-aggressive way to cause the lgbt community more consternation.

For example, one of their goals this year is to lobby Congressional leaders to NOT pass pro-lgbt legislation.

Also, if you are a glutton for punishment, take a look at their itinerary of events and who they are aligned with.

And if you need further proof of how fake 'Ex Gay Awareness Month' is, check out this video of their featured speaker, Alan Keyes - a sad man who will be remembered by history only as the man whom President Obama defeated to become an Illinois senator and thus beginning his road to the White House:

'Celebrate the heroes of LGBT History Month' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Editor's note - It is on very rare occasion that I make such an appeal but I implore you all that before or after you read these news briefs, please read my morning post, Family Research Council distorts Navy survey, stoops to new low by attacking gay servicemembers. Of all of the ugly acts of homophobia undertaken by FRC, this ranks as one of the worst because the group is not only demonizing our gay and lesbian service members, but it is exploiting a real problem in the military - sexual assault - by sending out false information. When inaccurate information is sent out about a problem, the problem rarely gets solved. FRC is doing our military a serious injustice.

In other news:

It's that time again, LGBT History Month, when we celebrate and honor the lgbts who have made positive impacts in the world. I am very satisfied with this year's list, particularly with the inclusion of the late Sylvester James. Sylvester James was one of the greatest singers ever and he rarely gets his due. 

 NOM vows to keep destroying the Republican party through spiteful campaigns - Maybe standing up to NOM will finally make the Republican party remember that it has a spine . . . oh who am I kidding?  

Holding The Religious Right To Its Own Standard - Unintentionally hilarious piece. You know you can't do that sort of thing. They always find a way to weasel out of adhering to their own rules, particularly when it comes to Supreme Court justices recusing themselves. 

 Lesbian Couple Sues Sperm Bank For Providing Wrong Donor’s Sperm - A lesbian couple is suing a sperm bank for providing them with the sperm which produced a mixed race child. On its face, this sounds like a horrendous story. However, as you read the story, you get a better understanding of the issue's complexities. I still think the suit is horrendous but it says a lot, not only about sexual orientation, but the problems people create for mixed raced children.

Family Research Council distorts Navy survey, stoops to new low by attacking gay servicemembers

No matter how low I think the Family Research Council will stoop to attack lgbts, the organization never ceases to astound me . Case in point is the following I received via email:

In a survey of 5,536 Navy personnel, only 27% say morale is "good" or "excellent," a freefall from past responses, where strained troops still managed to keep their spirits up. Now, a half-decade deep into the President's social experiment with the military, the scars are starting to show. Almost half of enlisted troops said they "distrust senior leaders" -- an opinion shared by 40% of officers. And the wave of pessimism threatens to affect more than just the Navy.

From uncertainty over their retirement to the frustration with "excessive political correctness," most of our brave men and women barely recognize the military they gave up their lives to serve. Instead, sailors say they harbor widespread doubts about the men commanding them, "complaining of poor leadership and a disciplinary environment that tolerates absolutely no mistakes."

What they mean is no politically incorrect mistakes. What the Obama military does tolerate, unfortunately, is a brave new world of sexual liberalism and religious censorship -- both of which are tearing at the fabric of America's fighting force. Sexual assaults and suicides are through the roof since the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 2010 -- and suddenly, the biggest cheerleaders for repeal are nowhere to be found. The Pentagon downplayed the effects of open homosexuality when it was implemented in 2011 -- something it will have a tough time doing now, with the rate of male-on-male assaults at a record high. While the media highlights the female victims, the Pentagon's 1,400-page report explains that service men are just as affected -- if not more so.

Now, four years later, the administration is scratching its head at the sky-high suicides and sexual attacks. Defense officials are racing to reassure people that they're doing everything they can to get to the bottom of these issues -- only to inject more policies that accelerate both. They put political correctness ahead of national security and then seem surprised when both the nation and the people that protect us are at risk.

According to the Washington Times, the survey "was released amid complaints by some aviators about excessive political correctness as the military seeks to stamp out sexual harassment and misconduct in an increasingly gender-integrated Navy." Obviously, these are complex and emotional issues -- from personal safety to private beliefs. If we want to solve these crises, a key component to addressing them is the same vibrant faith this administration is trying to stamp out. Is this really the time we want to tell service members they can't rely on God?

The Family Research Council is clearly implying that it is the Obama Administration's supposed attack on religious liberty and the decision to allow gays to serve openly which led to the survey's negative responses.

That is a lie.

Neither article linked by the Family Research Council (one from Military.com and the other from The Washington Times) mentions anything regarding "religious liberty" or gays serving openly in the military as reasons for the negative responses to the Navy survey.

The article from Military.com said:

A U.S. Navy retention survey found that sailors are increasingly unhappy with lengthy deployments, a high operational tempo, and recent calls to reduce pay and benefits.

In addition, fewer numbers of Navy sailors aspire to earn positions held by their superior officers as sailors have a widespread distrust of Navy leadership, the independent survey found.

"Sailors are most likely to leave uniformed service because of a perception of increasingly high operational tempo, poor work/life balance, low service-wide morale, declining pay and compensation, waning desire to hold senior leadership positions, and a widespread distrust of senior leadership, all of  which erodes loyalty to the institution," the survey states.

The Washington Times article says pretty much the same thing. Now while the headline of the article in that publication mentions 'political correctness,' the article itself only mentions the term in the following paragraph:

 The independent survey was released amid complaints by some aviators about excessive political correctness as the military seeks to stamp out sexual harassment and misconduct in an increasingly gender-integrated Navy.

This still means that FRC's claim is a lie.

Perhaps the most vicious lie in FRC's piece is the following:

 Sexual assaults and suicides are through the roof since the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 2010 -- and suddenly, the biggest cheerleaders for repeal are nowhere to be found. The Pentagon downplayed the effects of open homosexuality when it was implemented in 2011 -- something it will have a tough time doing now, with the rate of male-on-male assaults at a record high. While the media highlights the female victims, the Pentagon's 1,400-page report explains that service men are just as affected -- if not more so.

A link between the repeal of DADT and the rate of male-on-male rapes in the military has not been proven, except for in the minds of people ignorant to buy into the stereotype of predatory gay males.  According to Media Matters:

 A study by Palm Center, a research institute focused on sexuality and the military, has found no evidence that open service has led to increased sexual assault. Nor, the center reported, did repeal lead to a decline in military cohesion or morale . . . Increased reporting of incidents may well reflect Defense Department efforts to encourage servicemembers to speak up if they've been assaulted. Emphasizing that sexual assault remains a "heinous" problem, Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA), co-chair of the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus, told CNN that the rise in reports may well reflect "legislative and military changes" encouraging people to come forward.

As The New York Times reported in June 2013, the military's DADT policy discouraged victims of male-on-male sexual assault from reporting incidents, for fear that admitting to even non-consensual same-sex relations could lead to discharge.

Furthermore, in creating the stereotype of the predatory gay male, FRC exploits and undermines the real problem of male-on-male rape in the military.

A December 14, 2013 article in The Baltimore Sun, Breaking the Silence, talked extensively about this issue. The article noted that the problem has unfortunately existed for decades. It also noted that male-on-male rape in the military was not an issue of sex but of power and emasculation:

Military data show that the typical perpetrator is a man who has served longer in the military than his victim and holds a higher rank. In most cases, the assailant identifies as heterosexual.

Roger Canaff, who has trained Army lawyers in prosecuting sexual assault cases, says many attacks amount to a particularly violent form of hazing.

It “isn't necessarily seen as a sexual act,” says Canaff, a former prosecutor in New York and Virginia. “It's seen as a humiliating act. It's the ultimate act of emasculation.

“You see that in fraternity life, sometimes. You see that in the civilian world. The military has it also.”

We've seen on a number of occasions that, for an organization which talks about Biblical principles, FRC has no problem with trashing the commandment about " not bearing false witness."

This time, we are seeing that while the group talks about the greatness of America (which it did recently in celebrating the anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner), the Family Research Council has no problem disrespecting the men and women whose service has led to this country's greatness,  and also exploiting their problems to demonize the entire gay community.

Stephen Colbert gives the Values Voter Summit the disrespect it fully deserves

Only Stephen Colbert can stick it to the Values Voter Summit like no one else:

The Colbert Report
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'Paper trail ruins anti-gay activist's denial of homophobia' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

Ever since the Human Rights Campaign's The Export of Hate report came out, various religious right figures spotlighted in it have been screeching and complaining about how HRC is exposing them to danger or trying to silence them.

The most annoying reaction has been that of Michael Brown, founder of the FIRE School in Ministry in Concord, N.C., and host of the daily, nationally syndicated talk-radio show “The Line of Fire.”

His reaction has been a folksy, Will Rogers type of "Aw shucks. I don't know what HRC is talking about. I'm only defending Christian values." The low key and semi comedic tone Brown has taken is a deliberate attempt to take attention away from the fact that he not only deserves to be included in Export of Hate, but he also deserves the profile given to him by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Amongst other things, Brown has claimed that:

 gays use youth suicide victims as 'pawns,'

and defended Uganda anti-homosexuality law as necessary to fight HIV/AIDS.

However for my money, the most awful thing about Brown is the video above, which I don't think he has ever disavowed:

During an interview with GOD TV’s Sid Roth of It's Supernatural!, Michael Brown discussed his new book, A Queer Thing Happened To America, about the deleterious impacts of gay rights in America. Best known for its over-the-top promotional ad, A Queer Thing Happened To America focuses on “analyzing the foundational arguments of the gay civil rights movement and exposing the extreme intolerance of those calling for tolerance.” Before the interview, a trailer for the book features a boy at school imagining the terror of having same-sex parents: over-sentimental mothers who bandage his wounds and kiss him before he goes to sleep and dysfunctional fathers who tie his shoe laces and send him off to school. 

I think that when Shakespeare wrote that line about "daggers behind smiles," he had folks like Brown in mind

In other news: 

Facebook Requires LGBT People To Use Real Names Even In Countries Where Homosexuality Is A Crime - Oh Facebook. You are seriously screwing up. 

Are some anti-LGBT activists missing a self-awareness gene? - Or to put it another way - "Anti-gay activists are getting majorly high on their own supply."

 Congressman Defends Anti-LGBT Discrimination With Irrelevant Study - Such is the dangers of ignoring times when anti-gay groups and activists use anti-gay junk science. With no proper push back, these monstrosities make their way to Congress where they can do some REAL damage to the lgbt community.

The anti-gay right LOVES to use junk science against gays

During last night's post, I made reference to an interview the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer conducted with discredited researcher Paul Cameron in 2013. Below is a video of the interview:



Two reminders:

 1. Cameron is a discredited researcher who is head the Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group the Family Research Institute. Almost two decades ago, he was THE go-to man for anti-gay propaganda even though he was known to be a quack who pushed such theories as gay men stuffing gerbils up their rectums.

His work has been cited on more than one occasion by many anti-gay groups from the Family Research Council to the American Family Association. As his history of fraud became widely known, these groups distanced themselves from him without so much as an apology for using him as a source in the first place.

But not totally. Last year, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association conducted an interview with Cameron, allowing him to freely cite the lies which got him dismissed  and censured from the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association in the 80s.


2. Don't take Bryan Fischer too lightly. He may spout outrageously homophobic lies but he has considerable power as a voice of the AFA, including the power to get  US Congressional leaders to appear on his show .

If you aren't alarmed by this, then what is your problem?